Thursday, March 10, 2016

Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer {REVIEW}

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.
--The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The PrincessThe Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of

WOW! I mean, wow! Marissa Meyer just proves why her books make people go all gaga. This is not even a full-fledged novel, basically a collection of short stories of the Lunar Chronicles. Among the nine short stories, a few were published earlier. I think I even read "The Queen's Army" before. But anyhoo, it was nice to read all of them together and after my slight disappointment over the last book of the series, this worked kinda like magic cuz hello, pretty cover and did I mention awesome stories?

The Keeper.

"The Keeper" is the story of Michelle Benoit, and how Cinder came to be the amazing cyborg she is today (no kidding). It is also a story that gives the readers idea about the kind of childhood Scarlet had and how she became such kickass. I've always wondered from where did Cinder pick her name, since it seems nlikely that a royalty would be named Cinder (To avoid any misunderstanding, I really really like the name Cinder). This story tells where did she get that name from. The book begins with this story and because of the way it describes all the intricacies so finely, it is one of my four most favorite stories of this book.

Glitches.
"Glitches" was already published as a short story earlier, if I remember correctly. I haven't read it at that time, so it was all new for me. "Glitches" is about Cinder too, but the one who gets adopted by Garan into his family. this one was sd, and a little heartbreaking because soon after Cinder is adopted and Garan is infected, life becomes hard for her. With Adri and Pearl constantly looking down upon her, she finds her only friend in Peony. That is, until she meets Iko- who, like her, also have "glitches".

The Queen's Army.

This one gives a background story for making Levana's Special Op soldiers. It goes into details about how Wolf was taken from his family for the army. It has a horror-ish feeling to it cuz Levana O_O And Wolf's story is a sad, sad one.

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky.

After the sad encounter with Cinder, Meyer gives a treat in the form of Thorne *swoon* The story is fun and a quick-read. Remember that childhood incident at school Thorne talked abut in Cress? It is basically a detailed narration of that. It is interesting to see how Thorne had always been a womanizer and an out and out flirt.

After Sunshine Passes By.

This one is about Cress. And if you think "Glitches" is sad, wait till you read this one. We see the little Cress, neglected and afraid who is in the end left alone at a satellite to watch over for Sybil. She feels abandoned, left out and helpless, and yet all she can do is to sing to stop herself from breaking down.

Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
You sing your song so sweetly after sunshiine passes by.

The Princess and the Guard.

No. It's not a retelling of The Princess and the Frog. It's about two people, two childhood playmates whose entire lives revolve around each other, and who have to keep their feelings to themselves to keep each other alive. It's about Winter and Jacin, for whom the child's play "Princess and the Guard" becomes their harsh reality. It gives the readers a clearer idea (if that's even possible) as to what Winter and Jacin mean to each other. It tells us why Winter stopped using her glamour, it explains why Jacin end up becoming what he wanted to become, a doctor. It explains why he would throw everything away to be a royal guard. Ad all of it explains why it is one of my most favorites.

The Little Android.

Ouch. That is what sad looks like. Tch Disney. (Yes this is the non-child version of The Little Mermaid)

The Mechanic.

One of my most favorites. It takes me back to Cinder days. Oh, memories, sweet, sweet memories. (I remember I didn't even have an e-book reader back then and I finished the whole book reading it on my PC THAT 's how obsessed I was with Kai and Cinder*_*) I LOVED LOVED LOVED Kai's point of view when he and Cinder first meet, It's something I always wanted to know about. And Meyer does justice to all of it. Iko is a treat as always. And my two babies, eep :')

Something Old, Something New.

Yep. Interestingly, the last story of the book sums up the whole collection. There is indeed some stories that are old and some, like this one, that are new. It's like an epilogue, a perfect ending to a perfect series. This is another of my most favorites and since this is D Gem, I'm not gonna give way any spoilers. But this is PLAIN AMAZING. You have all dem characters, Cinder, Kai, Iko, Cress, Thorne, Winter and Jacin who have come together to celebrate Scarlet and Wolf's wedding ceremony. Like always, Meyer doesn't show a simple wedding. Starts above! Of course she doesn't. And that's not even the half of it. Wait till you see Kai and Cinder's ending. ♥♥♥

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